by Richard Prior
Staff Writer
There are no pictures to be had of work teams scurrying about the Adam’s Mark Hotel, making last-minute preparations for Hurricane Frances to possibly check in over the weekend.
Those preparations were actually made before hurricane season ever started.
“We sat down with the operating teams, the department managers and the senior executive team to update everything,” said Noel Salinas, executive assistant manager. “We have checked our supplies lists, and we have plenty of backup. The generator is primed.”
Frances may not be the perfect storm, but it was still listed as a Category 4 hurricane Thursday afternoon as it steered its eye toward who-knows where. Working their way through the Bahamas, the 140 mph winds showed no sign of weakening.
The expectation — as of Thursday, at least — was, if people around Palm Beach look out their windows late Saturday or early Sunday morning, they’ll see Frances’ eye winking at them.
Managers at the Adam’s Mark don’t particularly expect the same view, but the hurricane preparedness plan is already in place, just in case Frances decides to sweep up the coast.
“The hotel is ready to withstand high-velocity winds,” said Salinas. “We have specific plans in place for each category of a hurricane. We had good practice with Charley, putting some of those plans in action.”
In the event the hotel does lose power, a generator is available to power the separate systems for backup lighting, elevator and phone system.
Given that Frances will hit Florida — somewhere — it would be the first time since 1915 that one state has been on the receiving end of a double-hurricane strike.
When Charley left the west coast just a few weeks ago, it left behind 20 dead and billions in damage. The ultimate cost of Charley’s destruction may be $6.8 billion, making it Florida’s most expensive storm since Andrew in 1992.
Andrew caused $15.5 billion in damages in 1992, or $20.3 billion in today’s dollars.
With the Super Bowl coming, the Adam’s Mark has already been examined regularly by City inspectors and the fire department, which found everything in order, Salinas said.
Conventioneers are still scheduled to check in this weekend, and Salinas wasn’t certain if that would go off as planned.
“Some have called expressing concerns,” he said. “There have been some cancellations.”
As of Thursday afternoon, three different groups had canceled their reservations for meeting space, banquets and guest rooms.
“But we have been able to replace those with individual travelers coming north to escape the storm,” said Salinas. “So our occupancy has actually gone up. Not by a bunch; there are still some rooms available. But occupancy is up.”
The hotel has liberalized its cancellation policy due to the impending “act of God.” It is also offering a special deal — a $79 room rate — to those seeking sanctuary in Jacksonville.
Managers will be on hand to ensure the guests are safe and well taken care of, Salinas said.
“It’s very important that we maintain communications with our guests,” he said. “We’ll be giving them further updates about what they can expect from us.”
Few visitors will be out and about even if the storm’s fury lessens. If they decide not to stay in one of the 966 rooms, they will find the restaurants open, along with the sports bar and its big-screen televisions, and the lobby bar, which features live entertainment.
“We don’t board up the windows,” said Salinas. “Too many windows.
“We pull furniture and umbrellas from the outside and the patios. We’ll secure the exterior doors, lock them down as the storm approaches.
“Our guests will still be able to expect housekeeping and for the restaurants to stay open. It will pretty much be business as usual.”